Saturday, 26 September 2015

Thx to Ian Hall (part of the community at St Paul's) for his contribution to the slideshow below. Ballarat Interfaith Networkers will notice some BIN members in the pix. And there was one behind the camera as well.

On 21 August 2015, approximately 80 people gathered at the Eastwood Leisure Centre in Ballarat for a Forum on Homelessness. The place was packed. The place was lively.

People working in organisations related to Homelessness were present. Some of these gave presentations of their work. Most of these were in government funded organisations but there were some present who received no government funding whatsoever and relied wholly on community support to fund their activities. Prominent among the latter was The Soup Bus - a well known #Ballarat institution.

A favourite of many people was Josh Wilkins, the founder of One Voice. One Voice operates without government funding and provides free, clean shower facilities for homeless people. Keep watch because there may be a #Ballarat version pop up thanks to the energies of local people. A bus has already been given for the purpose but there is much more to be done before bus and showers can hit the road. Josh said that his ambition is to become like the community of Sant'Egidio in Italy who started small but now have moved on to providing health care and facilities.

There were people from the general community who were concerned about Homelessness and who were seeking solutions to this grave problem.
The forum was co-sponsored by Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council and Ballarat Interfaith Network. Many thanks to Father Constantine Osuchukwu (Treasurer, B.I.N. and Interfaith Officer, BRMC) and Margaret Lenan Ellis (Public Relations Officer, B.I.N.) who were at the forefront of organising the Forum and a special thanks for the great job that Father Constantine did in chairing proceedings.

If you attended, the Homelessness Forum or if you were prevented from attending, another gathering will be held on 9 October. Stay tuned for further details.

Sunday, 6 September 2015

Here are three pieces of information for you being passed on from BRASSN (Ballarat Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support Network). The first is a link to an ASRC Newsletter titled 'Are we doing enough'? The second is a Light the Dark vigil held in Ballarat this Monday at 6pm. The third is from BRASSN member David McPhail, who will be participating in the Run 4 Refugees with a Ballarat team.

The image of a Syrian child's lifeless body washed up on the shores of a Turkish beach this week brought the world to its knees. His name was Aylan Kurdi, and he was just three years old.

The sad reality is that Aylan was one among millions of desperate people forced to flee from war and persecution. The world is facing a global refugee crisis on a scale we've not seen since WWII, but Australia - our lucky country of a fair go for all - is not doing enough. We can do better to help these people.We need to do better.

That's why on Monday night, we will light a candle to remember Aylan Kurdi. We will stand together in solidarity with ...people across the world who are forced to ask for protection from countries like ours. We'll shine a light in the darkness, in protest of our country's abandonment of the world's most desperate people, who seek only safety and protection.

We will send a message to the world that our government's inaction does not represent us, and that Australia says welcome.

Would you like to support the ASRC by sponsoring our marathon and by circulating this email through your networks.

I am running Melbourne Marathon again this year with the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre [ASRC]. We now have a Ballarat team which includes asylum seekers and refugees. Sophia, my daughter, is also running her first marathon with us. Ballarat Run 4 Refugees is raising much needed funds for Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.

ASRC gets no government funding and is completely dependent on fundraising. Last year Run 4 Refugees raised about $250,000 which was about the amount spent on accommodation. In my role as volunteer Case Worker with ASRC I am able to say first hand how well this money is used for people who are otherwise homeless.

For 14 years the ASRC has been fighting for the human rights of asylum seekers. Over 10,000 people have been provided with sanctuary, support and hope by the ASRC in this time and thousands of people have won their freedom through this work. Your donationwill help provide services to support people seeking asylum: legal appointments, housing, health care, employment services, English language classes, food andadvocacy.

You can make a donation by clicking on the link below to go to my fundraising page. There is also links to the ASRC web page for more information about the organisation.

This article first appeared on HuffPost UK.
In what could prove something of a pot hole for current readings of
Islamic history, a carbon test carried out on a Quranic manuscript
recently discovered in England reveals the book is likely older than
Muhammad, the founder of the Islamic faith.

Victorian Faith Networks Council of Victoria

Compass

2018 PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS

Religions getting together in peace

Interfaith Voivces

From the Dacorum Interfaith Network

An Interfaith Tree of Life

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Joining Ballarat Interfaith Network? Please consider...

B.I.N. welcomes new members from a variety of faiths, belief systems, and spiritualities. Membership for individuals is $10 and for organisations is $50. B.I.N. meets on the 4th Wednesday of every month at the Eastwood Leisure Complex, 20 Eastwood Street, Ballarat at 7pm. B.I.N. members would love to meet you.

The Motto of Ballarat Interfaith Network

What is interfaith dialogue?

Ballarat Interfaith Network has the motto "Conversations not Conversions". Interfaith organisations come from a desire to understand and show respect for those of faiths other than the individual's own faith. These organisations allow friendships and dialogue to develop.
Please go to the following link for more detail: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interfaith_dialogue

Title and Background photograph

The title of the blog comes from a Judith Wright poem. To read the poem please go to the post at http://interfaithinballarat.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/wisdom-and-knowledge-gained-beside-creek.html

The background of this blog was taken from a photograph by Brigid O'Carroll Walsh, the author of this blog. The photograph shows oak trees beside the Yarrowee River. It was taken from Esmond Street on Ballarat's historic Black Hill Reserve. Esmond Street forms part of the Yarrowee Trail as well as the Goldfields Track and is a favourite place for walkers, joggers, bikers, and dogs.